Square dance club

Square dance clubs are the primary form for organization within the recreational activity of square dancing, and more specifically modern Western square dance. This article's focus is the modern Western square dance club, and it is understood in the context of this article that when the terms "square dance club" or "square dance" are used it refers to the form of square dance called "modern Western square dance".

Square dance clubs are primarily, but not exclusively, local in character. A square dance club is only as strong as its members, i.e. individual square dancers.

The club's primary goal is to promote and advance square dance as a recreational activity. Typically clubs accomplish this goal through the following activities:

This is not an exclusive list, and square dance clubs are constantly on the look out for new ways to achieve their goals. Associations, partnerships and other cooperative ventures have become increasingly more important to square dance clubs. Membership in square dance clubs seems to have peaked in the late '70s and early '80s, and has gradually decreased since that time.

Providing classes and training opportunities is the main activity for the majority of square dance clubs. This activity develops competent dancers, a core membership for the club, club solidarity and feeling, and a renewable base for the sustainability of the club. Most clubs start classes in September and/or January, although strategies are being developed for starting classes more often.

Callerlab recommends that the Mainstream program be taught in no less than 56 hours. Depending on the length of the individual class and how often one meets, it can take a half year or longer to learn the full program. Therefore, consideration is being given to many different ways to quicken the learning curve, and to get new dancers on the dance floor.

Callerlab also dictates what the plus, advanced 1 and 2, and 4 levels of challenge programs are.

Callerlab not only has a number of American callers that are members, but callers from all over the world.

In Europe, most notably in Denmark, there have been recognized a series of partial dance levels with corresponding dances available at those partway points (Mainstream 23, 45, 53, 69). The American Callers Association also has a simplified program, called "1". In America, clubs sponsoring classes often hold "Red-light/Green-light" dances, where alternating tips are called at a level where class members can participate. These accommodations allow dancers to begin attending dances quicker in the learning cycle.

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